The Nightlife at Donut Joe's
by Bustlesarehazardous
Summary: After the disaster at the gala, Octavia is fired and forced to work in a nightclub. Things seem pretty bleak until she recognizes some pony from the audience.


Octavia heard Joe's voice ring out over the dimly lit room as she waited behind a raggedy curtain.

"Here she is, the mare you've all been waiting for! You've heard her cello. Now you can hear her terrific voice. Put your hooves together for Miss Octavia Melody!"

That was her cue. She stepped out onto the splintering stage with a forced smile and took her place in front of the mic. There was a pause as she cast her gaze down to the piano where Flam the former con-man sat awaiting her signal. She gave a nod, and so began the mournful jazz she'd become accustomed to singing.

It hadn't always been like this. She was a true musician once. An renowned artist. But that was before the incident at the Gala. That fiasco had gotten her fired, and, after trying to find work in several orchestras, the opera house, and even some schools, she became desperate. Donut Joe's was her last hope.

So that was it. No more concert halls where the elite would listen in earnest. No more high ceilings and chandeliers. Just this dusty nightclub beneath Joe's shop and an audience of regulars that could care less about the music. She'd tried to work her cello into the act, but it just wasn't very popular with this crowd.

Octavia felt tears forming in her eyes, but she couldn't tell if it was from the stage lights or the excessive makeup that stung her eyes. Or maybe she was just denial about how depressed the world was making her. Here she was, the only decent act among five or six second rate singers in this joint. Though, of course, she'd always been a little overly cynical.

She finished her song and was stepping down from the stage resume her waitress duties, when Flam held out a hoof to stop her. "Would ya look at that!" He said pointing to a table in the corner. "Is that who I think it is?" Octavia turned to see Princess Twilight, the mare whose friends had ruined her life, sitting quietly in she shadows with a book.

Octavia felt her face grow hot with rage. "Why, it is! And I'm going over there right now to give her a piece of my mind!"

But Flam stopped her. "Whoa, there. You know, she's good friends with the boss. I can't just let you cause a scene and get yourself fired. This job was your last shot. If you can't keep it, you might have to leave Canterlot."

She sighed. Flam's concern for her was sweet, but he wasn't her mother. She took orders from nopony.

"Fine," she grumbled. "But I'm at least going to find out why she's here."

So, with Flam watching protectively, Octavia trotted to that corner table and plastered a friendly grin onto her face. "Princess Twilight, I believe?"

The purple alicorn snapped to attention, as if awoken from a daze and closed her book. "Oh, uh, yes. That's me."

"I just wanted to make sure you were enjoying our show, Princess."

The Princess of Friendship gave a gracious smile, obviously unaware of the edge in Octavia's voice. "Yes, I am, and may I just say that you are a wonderful singer. I don't remember exactly, but I think something was said about you playing cello as well, right?"

Octavia swallowed hard and gritted her teeth. Twilight had opened some old wounds with that casual remark.

"You don't remember me?"

Twilight eyed her carefully for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. "You're the cellist from the Gala!"

"In the flesh," Octavia said. "So tell me, what is a princess doing in a place like this?"

"Well, I'm old friends with Joe. He mentioned having a side business, and I thought I might come see." Twilight glanced around nervously. "Though, I'll admit, I wasn't expecting it to be so...adult. How did you come to work here?"

"I was fired after the Gala. My reputation was ruined, so this was the only place I could find work."

Twilight's face took on a look of horror. "Oh, no! It didn't have to do with the mess we made, did it? I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." She began rubbing her temples, and Octavia noticed just how tired the princess looked. "How could I have let this happen?"

Though, Octavia had meant to confront Twilight, somehow her hostility had melted away. "Well, it wasn't entirely your fault."

Strangely, she was beginning to have sympathy for Twilight. After all, being a princess has to be pretty stressful, right? Maybe, if she convinced Twilight that working at Donut Joe's's wasn't so bad, it'd calm her down.

"Really, Princess, it's not all that bad. Sure, the pay is lousy, but I'm still making music, which is all that matters." Twilight didn't look convinced. Octavia kept going. "And the others are great. Almost like a second family. See the pianist over there? That's Flam. He's been looking out for me since I first started here."

Twilight cracked a small smile. "Flam? I know him. I have a friend who'd be interested to see what's become of him."

Octavia wondered briefly about Flam's history with Twilight before she turned her attention back to the conversation. "It's not a terrible place to work. I could do worse," she said. But as she thought about it,she had to admit that it was true. She was with people who cared about her, doing something that she enjoyed. So what if it wasn't the cello?

"I'm actually just now realizing how fortunate I was to have found this place," she said.

"I'm glad to hear that Joe is taking good care of you."

At that, Octavia's heart skipped a beat.

Joe. He really had taken good care of her. He even let her live in the upstairs portion of the shop. She glanced across the room to where he chatted with customers. He had gone out of his way to help her and had been nothing but kind and considerate. Not to mention, he was a very attractive stallion.

Twilight caught her wistful expression and gave a knowing smirk. "He is quite a catch, isn't he?"

Octavia blushed. Her relationship with Joe had been secret until just now. "I guess I have you to thank for that."

Twilight chuckled. "Well, I still hate that we got you fired. Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"

"No, I don't think-" Octavia began, but then she thought of something perfect. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

She went to her room and retreived a folder full of sheet music. It was her masterpiece. Her baby. She had labored over it tirelessly for months, and now its time had come.

"What's this?" Twilight said peering at the manuscript on the table in front of her.

"My symphony. I was hoping you could take it somewhere to be played." Octavia sighed. "That's really all I want. Just for this to see the light of day."

Twilight picked it up reverently and stood to leave. "Octavia, you have my word."

About a week later, Joe was checking his mail before opening the donut shop, when he noticed a package addressed to Octavia. Odd. She didn't get much mail anymore, especially after the Gala.

Joe made his way up the stairs and knocked on Octavia's door. "Sweetheart, someone sent you a package."

He heard a muffled "what?" from the other side of the door before it swished open to reveal that classy, grey mare he'd grown so fond of looking at him expectantly.

"Well, do I get to open it, or are you going to stand there staring at me?"

Joe laughed softly and gave her the package. "So hasty," he said. He watched her open it from the top and pull out a scroll which she read silently, her eyes growing wider the more she read.

"Well? What's it say?"

She gulped and began reading. "Dear Miss Melody, We were delighted to receive your composition. It is a beautiful piece of music. We plan to perform it this spring. It should help us adapt our performers to the modern musical styles. Please send more if possible. We have included payment for your symphony with this letter. Sincerely, the Crystal Empire Minstrels."

Then, with mascara streaks down the sides of her face, Octavia opened the package the rest of the way to reveal more gems than she had ever seen. Perhaps, things hadn't worked out so badly, after all.


End file.
